


It's Only Dancing

by kirani



Series: Heart Murmurs [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Pining, Slow Dancing, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirani/pseuds/kirani
Summary: Nursey doesn't even think about it the first time he and Dex dance.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse & William "Dex" Poindexter, William "Dex" Poindexter/Original Male Character
Series: Heart Murmurs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825399
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	It's Only Dancing

**Author's Note:**

> this is a standalone work but can be read as a prequel to [such as it ends](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20032339)

Mirror ball and a cover band  
Just for kicks, won't you take my hand?  
It's something that all good friends do  
It's not like I'm in love with you  
What a crazy idea, where did you get that?

-It's Only Dancing, jeremy messersmith

The first time it happens is senior year. They’re in the kitchen, Dex’s domain now, and Nursey is humming along to music. Dex starts to sway at the counter where he’s rolling out a pie crust and Nursey grins as he watches. 

“Dexy’s got moves!” 

Dex turns bright red as expected, and Nursey takes a chance. He pulls Dex away from his pie and into a open hold, one hand on his lower back and the other holding Dex’s. 

“Nursey what?” Dex says, letting himself be pulled into the dance regardless. Nursey leads them around the kitchen for a minute before the song ends he releases Dex. 

“What was that?” Dex asks. 

“Dancing, Poindoodle,” he says with a wink, and they return to their respective tasks. 

If Nursey’s heartbeat is racing and Dex’s neck stays flushed pink for a while after, neither of them mentions it. 

The second time it happens is more purposeful. 

Nursey is visiting Dex in Maine, he’s started a job in Portland and Nursey is excited to see his new place. They’re sitting in the kitchen, Dex pulling things out of the cupboards for dinner, and he asks Nursey to grab something from the fridge. 

Except the kitchen is truly tiny and they end up nearly running into each other. Nursey grins and pulls Dex back into an open hold and spins them around for a few beats. 

Dex laughs. “What are you doing?” 

“Thought you were trying to dance with me, Dexy!”

“There’s not even any music on,” Dex points out. 

Nursey begins to sing, serenading Dex as he swings him around his own kitchen. Dex laughs again but doesn’t pull away. 

After Nursey ends his song, he releases Dex with a flourish. “Thank you for the dance.” He’s joking around to hide how much he enjoyed it, even though he knows it shows on his face. 

Dex just stares at him.

“What?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Dex asks.

“Like what?” 

“Like you’re --,” Dex doesn’t finish the sentence but Nursey know how it must end. ‘Like you’re in love with me.’

He is, but he’s not about to tell Dex that. They’re best friends and Dex doesn’t feel the same. 

Nursey laughs to hide any feelings trying to surface. “Dunno what you’re talking about Dex. You needed soy sauce, right?” He sticks his face in the fridge to hide his blush. 

The third time isn’t until nearly three years later. 

Dex has come to visit and announce, with a shaking voice, that Ryan proposed. 

“What did you say?” Nursey asks, feeling his heart plummet into his feet before he even gets the answer. 

“I said yes.”

“Congrats, bro!” 

“Thanks,” Dex says, face flushing even darker. “We’re probably not gonna do anything big. Just the important people. Family and close friends.”

“Chill,” Nursey says. Is Dex trying to say Nursey isn’t invited? They’re not as close as they were at Samwell but he thought he’d still warrant a wedding invitation.

“Derek, of course you’re invited,” Dex says, reading his mind. 

Nursey gives him a weak smile. It’s not worth denying where his thoughts had gone. “Chill,” he says again. 

Dex rolls his eyes. “I actually wanted to ask if you’d show me a few dance moves? It seems like you know how to actually dance.”

“Oh,” Nursey says, taken aback. It had been years since they’d danced together and while he still thought about it from time to time, he figured Dex had forgotten all about it. “Of course.”

They stumble through a few moves, switching to Dex leading after a bit. By the end of the afternoon, their hands sweaty from holding each other, Nursey is sure he’s died and gone to heaven. 

Except then Ryan is calling and Dex leaps away from him like he’s been scorched. 

“It’s only dancing,” Nursey says quietly before Dex answers the call, unsure if he’s trying to reassure Dex or himself. 

He goes to the bathroom and splashes his face with cold water while Dex talks to his fiance. 

Dex is beautiful at the wedding. 

He and Ryan are a handsome pair in matching tuxedos, only their bowties contrasting, and Dex is smiling wide all day. When he leads his new husband to the center of the floor for their first dance, he’s confident and smooth. 

They float together, Dex’s hand sure on Ryan’s back, circling the room and smiling at each other. 

_It’s only dancing_ , Nursey lies to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr at [willdexpoindexter](https://willdexpoindexter.tumblr.com/)


End file.
